Tantive IV vs The Devastator

kangaroos can’t jump backwards

As I was driving to California a couple of weeks ago, finally leaving Las Vegas, I was more scared than anything. Not scared of whether or not I’d survive out here, or if I’d ‘fail’ in general, but just about the sheer weight of my car. I’d never had more than a total of 4 people driving with me, and even then I could feel the weight of it strain its acceleration and drag around turns. This time though, I had a large chunk of my former room squeezed into the trunk, back seat ,and passengers seat of my auto…and I have a ton of stuff. I was saddened that I wasn’t able to fit all of my books (I decided to leave some of them and come back later). Besides the noticeable depression of my tires and suspension, anyone driving next to me could see inside: clothes, dry-erase board, books, and most importantly, my foam mattress layer, all reaching the roof of my car.

No, I didn’t care if I would come back to Las Vegas a month later with less money and time, it was the worry that my tires would blow, flatten, or otherwise malfunction, and I would be stuck on the side of the road with a heavy-ass car, hopefully alive. The hours passed and I was finally almost ‘home’. I convinced myself halfway through the trip that I had no right to be such a pussy when there were pilots in the 1940s who test-drove prototypes, attempting to break the sound-barrier.

Finally reaching the off-ramp to my hometown, listening to ‘Around the World’ by RHCP, I was greeted by two birds; well, their bird shit rather. This continues to be a problem here, birds do whatever they want wherever they want. After successfully navigating through the asteroid field between Las Vegas and Irvine (thanks to my GPS of course), I was parked outside of my old house. Walking up the steps to the doorway I noticed a large white rock with small black dots all over it. It was given to me when I was little, during my rock collecting phase (I was very popular due to this hobby, you see). Good to see something so familiar.

I was welcomed by my parents’ family friends; I consider them to be family. See, when my dad decided to move the family from California, it was due to the fact that every week he would drive to Las Vegas to work, thinking perhaps it wouldn’t be anything permanent. This happened for about a year or two. My parents truly loved their home and wanted to sell it to someone they knew, so naturally they sold it to their best friends. I was kind of in awe when I walked into the house. It looks almost exactly the same as when I lived here.

So here I am in Irvine, California…and hopefully for a good while longer. I was able to get into one summer class, and fall registration is a few weeks away. I live close enough to the campus that I can walk, which I do. Hopefully though, I’ll be able to afford a bike soon. I’m in the process of looking for a job and I’ve been very optimistic and happy so far. I have so much family here that I haven’t felt lonely, with the exception of missing my brothers and mom (and of course nena).

I’ve talked about moving here for so long, I imagined that it would be surreal and that it would take some time to adjust; I was wrong though. I can’t say I’ve ever felt more at home.

• July 08, 2011, 2:53pm

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